A New Year's Eve formal dance at the Benedict Club, a USO in Philadelphia

The United Service Organizations Was Chartered
February 4, 1941
At the suggestion of General George C. Marshall in 1940, and with the approval of President Franklin Roosevelt, representatives from existing public service organizations came together to form the USO Inc. Creating the USO were the Salvation Army, the YMCA, the YWCA, the National Jewish Welfare Board, the Travelers Aid Association of America, and the National Catholic Community Service. During World War II, more than 1 million volunteers operated more than 3,000 recreational clubs, which were established wherever they could find room. Clubs were housed in churches, museums, barns, railroad cars, storefronts, and other unlikely locales.